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The San Diego Public Library is partnering with Sanitas Inc. to provide software to visitors of the Central Library to help them learn more about potential health risks and chronic conditions. This software, which is free to those who use it onsite, was exclusively created for the library and is an integration of Sanitas products, Wellaho and Family Healthware.

Family Healthware is a free Web-based tool that helps people interested in discovering more about how their health history, environment, lifestyle and inherited genetics may influence their health and that of their biological family.

Family Healthware, which was originally developed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), employs quick, easy-to-use questionnaires that users fill out to build a comprehensive family health tree. Family Healthware does a preliminary assessment of each member's potential risk for six common chronic diseases: coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and colorectal, breast, and ovarian cancer, then generates an overall health profile, health score and private, customized disease prevention plan outlining recommended lifestyle changes and medical screenings that the individual can use when following up with their doctor. Family Healthware utilizes standard secure protocols that protect the privacy of each user so that an individual's personal information cannot be accessed or disseminated.

Wellaho allows people with chronic conditions, their family and caregivers access to doctor-approved, easy-to-understand, advertising-free videos and materials about common diseases that include diabetes, obesity, heart failure, kidney disease and breast cancer. Wellaho is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and was tested and deployed with patients at UC San Diego Health Services.

An introductory training session will be held on "Wellness Wednesday," Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. at the San Diego Central Library in the Wells Fargo Technology Learning Center. T

Family Healthware online resources are incorporated into the Central Library's new "Health and Wellness Center" on the second floor near the Homework Center. In addition to these online resources are books, videos, and health newsletters available for checkout. There is also a listing of health and wellness programs offered, such as Zumba Gold dance exercise, meditation classes, and video showings on popular health related topics. Many of the programs are co-sponsored and funded by community partners including Kaiser Permanente and CVS Pharmacy.